Amplifying member for pilot-operated valves



Jan. 27, 1959 F. J. VARGO 2,870,986

AMPLIFYING MEMBER F OR PILOT-OPERATED VALVES Filed May l5, 1957 inap/146215.

United safes Parent O MPLIFYING `MEMBER FOR PILOT-OPERATED VALVES Application May 1S, 1957, Serial No. 659,420 12 Claims. ((1251-45) This invention relatesgenerally to the valve art and m-ore particularly to a novel amplifying member for pilotoperated valves.

Amplifying members having exible diaphragms are generally known in the valve art. The known amplifying members are provided with short constricted pressure equalizer orifices which enable them to seek suspended positions of equilibrium in the valve when the valve is energized. Any dirt which collects in such a constrictedequalizing orifice and any stretching or deforming of the orifice changes the effectiveness of the amplifying member and also changes the operating characteristics of the Valve.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a pressure equalizing passage in anamplifying member for pilot-operated valves having a greater ow area for accomplishing the same pressure equalization as a shorter and more constricted orifice.

Another object of this invention is to provide a pressure equalizer passage in an amplifying member that will not readily clog or jam.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an equalizer passage for amplifier members in pilotoperated valves and the "like which adjusts its crosssectional flow area to compensate for changes in pressure acrossthe amplifying member. l

A still further object of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive amplifying member fori pilotoperated valves which operates effectively over wide ranges of pressure. 1

Other objects and advantages for the present invention will become apparent after considering the following Adetailed description in connection with the accompanying drawing. p

f Briefly, the present invention comprises an amplifying member for use withpilot-operated valves and the like, having a relatively long and circuitous equalizer passage of greater sectional flow area to produce the same equalizing effect than heretofore possible with shorter more constricted equalizer orifices. VThe invention further resides in an `equalizer passage whose cross-sectional flow area adjusts to `compensate for changes in pressure.;

In the drawings: l

Fig. l is a vertical cross-sectional View of a pilotoperated valve provided with an amplifying member constructed according to the teachings of the present in,- vention, the amplifying member being shown in the deenergized position, i

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the area around the amplifying member of the piloteoperated valve of Fig. l, showing the amplifying member `in the energized position, j

j Fig. 3 is a further enlarged cross-sectional view of the amplifying member per se,

Fig. 4 is an enlarged the amplifying member per se,

exploded cross-sectional view of I j 2,870,986 Patented Jan. 27, 1959 ICC Fig. 5 is a bottom view of the support portion of th -amplifying member,

Fig. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the amplifying member per se as it appears when subjected to a relatively large pressure differential, and

Fig. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the exible disc portion of the amplifying member per se.

Referring to the drawing more particularly by reference numerals, number 10 indicates a solenoid pilot-operated valve employing an amplifying member 12 that embodies the improvements taught by the present invention. The solenoid valve 10, for the most part, is of a known construction, many of its characteristics being shown and described in Letters Patent No. 2,738,157.

The valve 10 has a solenoid coil 13 positioned in a housing 14, and a `tubular member 16 extends downwardly through the windings of the coil 133. The upper end of thetubular member 16 is closed with a backstop member 18,` and an armature 20 is slidably positioned y inside of the tubular member` 16 therebelow.

`The armature 20 is provided with connecting `vertical bores 22 and 24, the larger of which (bore 22) is closed at the lower end by a resilient member 26, and contains a biasing spring 28. The upper end of the biasing spring 28 has a longitudinally projecting portion 30 which extends upwardly through the bore 24 and operates against the backstop member 18 to bias the armature 20 into a downward position. The backstop member 18 and the resilient member 26 maintain the spring 28 under compression. i

The fluid ow portion of the valve 10, which is controlled by the solenoid coil 13, has an inlet passage 32 and an outlet passage 34. When the valve 10 is deenergized (Fig. l) the inlet and outlet passages 32 and 34 are out of communication, being cut off from each other by the resilient member 26 and by the amplifying member 12 as will be described more fully hereinafter.

Surrounding the inlet end of the outlet passage 34 is an annular valve seat 36. The amplifying member 12, which includes support elements 40 and 42 and a flexible disc 44 (Figs. 3, 4 and 6), cooperates with the valve seat 36 inthe de-energized or closed position. In this positionthe flexible disc 44 engages the seat 36, and is biased thereagainst by the spring 28 and the armature 2i). Therefore, when the solenoid coil 13 is de-energized,

Y the amplifying member 12` is held between the resilient member 26 on the armature 20 and the valve seat 36.

The amplifying member 12 is constructed by fasten ing the support members 40 and 42 onto the disc 44. The member 42 consists of a tubular portion 62 with an annular groove 64 machined around its upper end and an enlarged grooved portion 66 extending radially from located outwardly of the portion 66.

itslower end. The member 42 also has a pilot-port 68 extending thro-ugh the tubular portion 62 which communicates with the outlet passage 34.

The liexible disc 44 of the amplifying member 12 is annular in shape and is mounted on the tubular portion `62 adjacent the grooved portion 66. Preferably the disc 44is made of a exible synthetic material 44a andis reinforced with a layer 44b of nylon, glass or any other suitable ber. The dis-c 44 is backed up on top by the member 40 which acts as a buffer plate (Fig. 3) to hold the disc 44 against the valve seat 36 when dc-energized- An annular resilent ring 44C of the synthetic material is formed integral with the lower resilient layer 44a oi' syntheticmaterial and fits into a groove formed in the grooved portion 66 of the member 42. The ring 44e prevents the disc 44 from working loose due to stretching and also provides a better seal between the disc 44 and the member 42. The disc 44 also has: an oricefg The buffer support member 40 has a bore 74 which receives` the. tubular portion 62 of the member 42. In assembled condition (Figs. 3 and 6), the buffer support member 40 engages the upper surface of the disc 44 and the machined groove 64 is crimped (Figs. 3 and 6) to hold the members 40 and 42 and the disc 44 together.

The present invention resides' in. an annular groove 76 which isprovided in the lower surface of the buffer support member 40, although; it is contemplated that in some situations it might be desirable to form the groove 76 in the disc 44.` (not shown). The groovev 76 is lrectangularsh-aped in crosssection and is iny communication with the ori-tice 72 in' the fiex-ible dise 44.` The support member 40 is provided with anorifice 78' which is also inV communication withy the groove 76 and which is located appr-oximately 18.0 fromx the orifice 72- in the disc 44. Thus, a circuitous passageway is: provided through the groove 76 between the orifice 72A andthe orifice 78. Because the groove 76 is enclosed throughout most of its length by the abutment o-f the support member 40 and the flexible disc 44, and because the disc 44 is flexible, whenever large pressure differences exist across the amplifyingmember 112, the disc 44 is forced into the groove 76 thereby reducing the cross-sectional or flow area of the passageway (Figs.l 2 and 6). The importance of changes in the flow area of the passageway will be described hereinafter.

The circuitous passageway, which will hereinafter be referred to as the equalizer passage, is preferably of small.- er cross-sectional area than the area of the pilot-port 68 for reasonswhich will be. discussed in` Operation Itis sufficient at this point to note that the length and circuitivenessof. the equalizer passage enables thev passage to equalize pressures on opposite sides of the amplifying member 12 at a rate comparable to a shorter and more constricted orifice. Furthermore, the equalizer passage is able to have a larger flow area (including the area of the orifices 72 and 78) than equivalent shorter equalizer orifices,. and there-fore, is less likely to clog or become jammed and. change operating characteristics. In. this regard', itshould be. noted thatthe annular groove. 76 provides two' passageways. between the orifices 72 and 78 thereby further reducing the possibility of the passage becoming" clogged. Depending upon the particular application,. or the iiuid to be employed (e. g. a Very viscous fluid), it may be desirable to increase the number of orifices (72 and 78) inthe member 40 and inithe discV 44.

The amplifyingmember 12 is movably positioned in a valve chamber having an upper cylindrical portion. 46, a central portion 48, and a lower annular portion 50. The upper portion 46 communicates with the armature tube 1:6', the central portion 48, which. has a larger diameter than the portions 46'and 50, accommodatesthe peripheral portionv of the flexible disc 44, and the lower portion 50 surrounds the valve seat 36 and communicates with the inlet passage 32. The enlargement. of the. central. charnber portion 48 is defined by upper and lower. opposed shoulders 52 and 54 respectfully,r the upper shoulder 52 being tapered and the lower shoulder 54 being flat (Figs. 1 an`d`2`)` so that the peripheryy of the disc 44 is engaged with oneor the other shoulder (52 or 54) substantially allof the time.

Thelower chamber portion 50 has a tapered annular support member 56 fitted` into it. The supportv member 56 has its upper periphery in the plane of. the shoulder 54" and its annular tapered portion is provided with a plurality of spaced openings 58 which communicate the inlet passage 32 with the chamber. portion 50.v The. support member 56 provides some. support for disc 4.4. and prevents. the: discv 44. from. being4 deformed; downwardly should the inlet pressure. become less. than theoutlet pressure.

Operation Inzthef-d'e-energized position of thesolenoid valve 10 (Fig. l'; thel amplifyinglmember 12 ishel'd between the resilient member 26 and the valve seat 36. In this position, the inlet passage 32 (which is at greater pressure than the outlet passage 34) communicates with all of the chamber portions 46, 48, and 50 through the equalizer passage (72, 76 and 78). Therefore, when the v-alve 10 is de-energized, the inlet pressure and the pressure in the chamber portions 46', 48 and 50 are equal.

When the solenoid coil 13 is energized, the plunger 20' moves upwardly freeing the amplifying member I2'. Simultaneously, the chamber portions above the amplifying member 12 are placed in direct communication with the outlet? passage 34 through the pilot-port 68. Because the cross-sectional area of the pilot-port 68 is larger than the cross-sectional area of the circuitous equalizer passage 72, 76 and 78, the pressure above the amplifying member 3,6y is exhausted to the outlet 34 through the pilot-port 68. This sudden decrease in pressure above the amplifying member 12 occurs faster than the equalizer passage can supply pressure from the inlet passage 32. Therefore, the reduced pressure above the amplifying member 12 causes the member to rise and to hunt for a position in which the equalizing effect of the equalizer passage balances by the combined effect of the weight' of the amplifying member 12 and the action of."

the pilot-port' 68. Usually the amplifying member l2` maintains a suspended position when energized in which the member 40 is spaced from th'e resilient member 26. In the suspended position, the periphery of the disc 44 is the only engaged portion of the amplifying member 12 and the valve' 10 operates quietly and does not vibrate.

The flexible disc 44 extends well into the area defined between the opposed shoulders 52. and 54 ofthe chamber portion 48; TheV tapering of the shoulder 52v enables the' fiexible disc 12 tov be engaged with one or the other ofl the" shoulders 52 and 54 during practically the entire time required to move between the energized and the deenergized positions'. This reduces leakage around the outer periphery of the' Vdisc 44 and makes the operation more reliable.

The circuitous shape of the equalizer passage (72,. 76 and 78). permits the passage to have a larger crosssectional area than is possible with just an orifice. Furtheremore, by' providing a larger area passage, there is less likelihood of the passage being clogged and changing its characteristics due to foreign matter carried in the fluid;

Figs. 2 and 6- illustrate how the flexible disc 44 responds to large pressure differences across the amplifying member 12 and how the area of the passage is thereby diminished to compensate for the increased pressure difference. When a large pressure difference exists across the amplifying member 12, the disc 44 is forced into the groove 76. The. greater the pressure difference, the more the disc 44 is forced into the groove 76, and the smaller is the cross-sectional area ofthe equ-alizing passage. With a smallerarea equalizer passage, the equalizingI effect is reduced and the amplifying member 1-2 has a tendency to rise. The higher the amplifying member 12 rises, the larger is the area of communication between the inlet passage 32 and the outlet passage 34 and the smaller is thek communication between the pilot-port 68 and the upper chamber portion 46. This, in turn, tends to minimize the effectiveness of the' pilot-port 68 as a pressure discharge passage for the upper portion 46, and by the same token increases the effectiveness of the equalizer passage relativeY to the pilot-port 68. Therefore, for greater pressure differences between the inlet passage 32'and the outlet'passage34, the amplifier member12 assumesv a higher' equilibrium position.

Thus; it is apparent that there hasy been provided a novel amplifyingmember for pilot-operated valves which fulfills all ofthe advantages and objects sought therefor.

It is to be understood that the foregoing description and the accompanying drawing have been given only gemene i i i by way of illustration and example and that changes and alterations in the present disclosure which will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art, are contemplated as within the `scope of the present invention which is limited only by the claims which follow.

the diaphragm; a groove in said one face of the support member; an aperture through the support member `in communication with the groove; and an aperture through the diaphragm in communication with the groove at a different location therealong 2. An amplifying member for pilot-operated valves, comprising a plate-like support member having opposed faces and a side edge; a flexible diaphragm positioned in contact with one of said faces coextensive therewith; a pilot-port extending through the support member and the diaphragm; a continuous groove in said one face of the support member; an aperture through the support member in communication with the groove; andan aperture through the diaphragm in communication with the groove at a different location therealong.

3. An amplifying member for pilot-operated valves, comprising a plate-like support member having opposed faces and a side edge; a flexible diaphragm positioned in contact with one of said faces coextensive therewith;

a pilot-port extending through the support member and the diaphragm; an annular groove in said one face of the support member; an aperture through the support member in communication with the groove; and an aperture through the diaphragm in communication with the groove, the apertures being positioned approximately 180 degrees apart.

4. An amplifying member for pilot-operated valves comprising an annular support member having a pilotport extending therethrough, said support member having opposed faces one of which has a groove formed therein, and an aperture through the support member which communicates with the groove; and a flexible diaphragm formed from resilient material mounted on the support member adjacentto the grooved face to form a passageway with the groove therein of less sectional flow area than the sectional llow area of the pilot-port, said diaphragm having an aperture that communicates with said groove passageway at a different location therealong than the aperture in the support member whereby the passageway and the communicating apertures define a circuitous passage through the amplifying member.

5. In a valve having an inlet and an outlet communicating with a chamber therein, and a valve seat associated with the outlet; an amplifying member positioned within the chamber and movable between an open position away from the valve seat and a closed position in which it cooperates with the valve seat, the amplifying member including a plate-like support member having opposed faces one of which has a groove formed therein, and a flexible diaphragm mounted on the support member adjacent to the grooved face to define a passageway with the groove, said diaphragm and said support member have apertures that communicate with the passageway at `different locations therealong to define a circuitous passage through the amplifying member.

6. In a valve having an inlet and outlet communicating with a chamber therein, and a `valve seat associated with the outlet; an amplifying member positioned within the chamber and movable between an open position away from the valve seat and a closed position in which it cooperates with the valve seat, said amplifying member including a plate-like support member having a pilotport extending therethrough, and a flexible member mountedon the support member adjacent to one face thereof, one of said -members having a groove formed thereinadjacent to the other member to define a passageway therewith, said support member and said flexible mernberihaving` offset `apertures therethrough that communicate with the groove passageway to define a circuitous passage through the amplifying member.

7. In a valve having an inlet and an outlet communicating with a chamber therein, and a valve seat associated with the outlet; an amplifying member positioned within the chamber and movable between an open' position away from the valve seat and a. closed position -in which it cooperates with the valve seat, the amplifying member including a plate-like support member having a pilot-port therethrough and a groove formed in one face thereof, and a flexible diaphragm mounted on the support member `adjacent tothe grooved face to define a passageway with the groove therein, said diaphragm and support, member having cooperating engaging means for sealably securing oneto the other, and said support member and said'diaphragm having apertures that communicate at different locations along said groove passageway to define a pressure equalizing passage through the amplifying member.

8. In a solenoid operated valve having an inlet passage, an outlet passage including a valve seat associated therewith, and a chamber formed between said passages; an amplifying member positioned in the chamber and movable therein between a closed position in which the amplifying member is engaged with the valve seat and an open position in which the inlet and outlet passages communicate, said amplifying member including a support member having a grooved face and a pilot-port that communicates with the outlet passage, and a flexible resilient diaphragm mounted on the support member adjacent to the grooved face and forming a passageway of less cross section with the groove in the face than the cross section of the pilot-port, said support member and said `diaphragm having apertures which communicate with the groove passageway at different .locations therealong to define a circuitous passage through the amplifying member, said diaphragm responding to increases in the pressure difference between the inlet and the outlet passages to decrease the cross sectional area of the groove passageway.

t 9. An amplifying member for pilot-operated valves comprising a support member having a central tubular portion with a pilot-port extending longitudinally therethrough and spaced annular flanges extending radially therefrom, one of said flanges having a groove formed therein and an aperture therethrough which communicates with the groove; and a flexible `diaphragm mounted on the support member between the spaced flanges, said diaphragm and said flanges including Vcooperating means adapted to seal the diaphragm to the support member and to prevent the diaphragm from working loose therefrom, said diaphragm cooperatively engaging the grooved flange to form a passageway with the groove therein and having an aperture that communicates with said passageway at a different location therealong than the aperture in the support member whereby said passageway and said offset apertures in the diaphragm and the support member define a circuitous passage through the amplifying member.

10. In a valve containing a housing having an inlet and an outlet communicating with a chamber therein, and a valve seat associated with the outlet; an amplifying member comprising a flanged support member having a central tubular portion with a pilot-port extending longitudinally therethrough, one of the flanges on the support member having a groove formed in a face thereof and an aperture therethrough which communicates with the groove; and a flexible diaphragm mounted on the support member adjacent to the grooved ilange face, said diaphragm cooperatively engaging the grooved face to form a passageway of kless sectional ow area 'with the' groove' therein than the sectional ow area of the pilot-port, said diaphragm having an aperture that communicates' with said groove passageway ata different location there'alo'ng than the aperture in the support member whereby the passageway and the offset apertures the diaphragm and the ange define a circuitous passage through the amplifying member'.

1l. amplifying member for pilot-operated valves comprising a support member having opposed faces, a groove formed in one of the opposed'faces, an aperture therein communicating 4with thel groove, and a pilot-port extending therethrough; and ari annular diaphragm mounted on the support member adjacent to said groove'd face, said diaphrag'mengagin'g the groove'd face to form a passageway with the groove therein and having an aperture communicating with said groove passageway at a diiferentl location therealong froml the aperture in the support member `whereby the groove passageway and said communicating apertures define a circuit'ou's' passage through the amplifying member.

12. An amplifying member for pilot-operated valves comprising a support member having a pilot-port extending therethrough, said support member having op-V posed faces one' of which has a groove formed therein, arid an aperture through the support member communicating with said groove; and a exibl'e `diaphragrrr mounted o n the support member adjacent to the grooved face forming a passageway with said groove of less spection'al ow area' than the sectional flow area of the pilotport, said diaphragm having an aperture that communicates with said groove passageway at a different location therealong' from the aperture in the support ,member whereby the passageway and said communicatingl apertures define a circuitouspassage through the amplifying member: p

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITE STATES PATENTS 2,388,868 Ray Nov. 13, 1945 

